On Saturday, April 13, the Free Press Second Saturday Salon will present the satire and social commentary of folk musician Tom Neilson.

The Earth Day Birthday celebration for WGRN 91.9 FM, begins at 5:30 with socializing and an awards ceremony. It is followed by a 7:00 PM concert.  

The venue is Beach Hall at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 93 West Weisheimer Rd. in Columbus. For info contact: cogreened@gmail.com.

Neilson is a storyteller who weaves an autobiographical sketch of songs and stories that are both historical and contemporary. He begins with his dairy farm roots and proceeds to the Vietnam War, civil rights, liberation struggles, unions, pipelines, censorship, Raytheon, breastfeeding, oligarchy, parenting, sexuality, humanism, lost loves and more.

He has received over 30 awards, including two Song Of The Year Awards from Independent Musicians; two CD of the Year awards from Just Plain Folks International and a 2015 nomination for the United Nations Nelson Mandela Award for lifetime achievement in peace and justice.

In 2017 he received the Arab American Women Association Award for his human rights work through performance art for Palestine. A member of AFM Local 1000, he has performed his music in 22 countries on five continents.

Michael Stock of WLRN, Miami, FL says “Tom does a great job of reminding people of what is really important and the power of folk music to say it. Says one reviewer, “He is light, warm, funny, compassion-filled, heart-felt LIFE just pouring out of a guitar with a sharp wit, a seasoned experience, and a big fat uncompromising bunch of truth behind it. He's the kind of sweet & playful that we need around.”

If you ask Tom, he’ll tell you he is just a farm boy with a guitar who likes a good ball game and human rights.

Performing with him, his wife and accomplice, Lynn Waldron provides harmonies and lyric cues. They live in Greenfield, Massachusetts.